38. Jamie
Jamie
March
“Are you ever going to tell Colt and Beau about Maya?” Drew asks from the passenger seat of my Camaro as we drive to the rink. His Jeep is still being repaired after Beau accidentally crashed it into a tree last month.
I shrug, a frown pulling at my lips.
“I’m just saying, it might make it easier to have a couple more friends in on the secret. Then when you go over to her place, we can say you’re at theirs without anyone getting suspicious.”
He’s got a point. The last couple of weeks, my ability to find alone time with Maya has been sporadic at best.
“Besides, it might help to make Colt feel less…isolated.”
“I’m not trying to make him feel isolated.
I’m just trying to keep her safe. Besides, he’s just getting back into the swing of things.
He doesn’t need my problems on top of that.
” I know Beau and Colt wouldn’t say anything to anyone if I told them Maya and I were together.
But after being in the habit of keeping secrets for so long, opening up is difficult.
“I know that. But I think he’d actually appreciate hearing about someone else’s problems for a change. And I think Beau is onto you. He asked me if anything ever happened between the two of you after Halloween, and I don’t think he forgot what happened on New Year’s like we all assumed he did.”
“He was drunk as hell; there’s no way he remembers,” I reply, but Drew only shrugs.
“He didn’t ask about Maya specifically, but he asked me about Claire, so I’m not sure what he does and doesn’t remember before he passed out on your bed.”
“Would you tell them, if you were me?” I ask, turning into the parking lot.
Drew shrugs again. “I mean, I don’t know what it’s like being in your shoes, but the way I see it, you have two options.
Tell your friends, trust us to help come up with a plan, live happily every after.
Or you stay under Ross’s thumb, never go public with Maya or any other girl, and are miserable forever”
Huffing out a mirthless laugh, I run a hand through my hair. “Damn, Drewski, I didn’t know you were so pessimistic. I have a plan—”
“Yeah, yeah, I know. Get famous and rich enough to out-lawyer him. But I hate to break it to you: your dad is really fucking rich. I think seasoned rock-star rich beats professional athlete rich. It’ll take a lot of time, and a lot of money, to get to the point where you might be able to go up against him.
Are you willing to wait that long? Is Maya? ”
“Well, what’s your plan then?” I ask, getting frustrated, knowing he’s right.
“I don’t have one, not yet. But surely five brains are better than one. Let us help.”
I clench my jaw, laying my head back on the headrest.
“Sorry, Jay. I didn’t mean to kill the mood. I’m just worried…about all of it.”
“I know. I appreciate it.” With a final pat on my shoulder, Drew climbs out, grabbing his gear bag from the trunk, and leaves me to sit with my thoughts.
“Don’t hesitate,” I reiterate, gently tapping Colt’s helmet with my gloved hand. “You’ve done this a million times.”
Crouching down, I position myself across from him on the center line, waiting for Beau, our stand-in referee, to drop the puck.
Colt crouches down as well, sweaty and exhausted from the last hour on the ice. The four of us stayed back after practice because Colt’s been taking extra ice time since returning from his injury.
He thinks he missed too much being off for three months, even though he’s done nothing except prove himself—his skill and work ethic—since returning to play.
Beau drops the puck, and my wrist snaps it over to Drew before Colt has a chance to snag it.
“Fuck!” he groans, standing to his full height and dropping his head back in defeat.
“Come on, C, I think we should call it a night,” Beau suggests.
“You’ve won every face off you’ve had this season: against Fischer, against Kingston,” I add, trying to avoid the elephant on the ice.
“But not against you,” Colt finishes, pulling off his helmet.
I grimace, not knowing how to make him feel better. “I’m not going to go easy on you, C.”
“I don’t want you to. I just…how am I going to get an offer after all this. I’m not as good as you, and I’ve missed so much game time…”
Drew skates over, joining our huddle and shedding helmet and gloves.
Since his recovery, Colt’s been adamant about speaking his thoughts aloud—something both Stella and his therapist have enforced. While I know it’s for his own benefit and mental health, the change has also had the unintentional effect of bringing the four of us closer as friends.
Beau, Drew, and I have an unspoken agreement to share something vulnerable when Colt does, so he doesn’t feel singled out. And while I know it’s a good thing, vulnerability doesn’t come naturally to me.
“You’ll get an offer, C. After that comeback game? Everyone’s eyes are on you. And you kicked ass in the first Regionals game last week,” Drew offers, and it’s the truth. The first round of NCAA tournament games began last week, and we beat Northwestern 4–1. Colt nods, accepting the compliment.
“We’re in the same boat, C. I’m worried about an offer, too.” Beau wraps an arm of solidarity around his friends shoulders. “But we’ve got this. Frozen Four is ours, baby.”
“Let’s call it a night, Captain’s orders. And I’m starving,” I comment, knowing we’re past the point of productivity. All four of us are exhausted and famished.
After getting showered and cleaned up, the four of us find ourselves in a booth at our favorite sushi and hibachi restaurant for a late dinner. It’s after eight o’clock at night, so there aren’t many people here.
“So, um, I’ve been meaning to tell you guys…” I start, after we’ve placed our orders. Drew’s gaze snaps too mine, a proud smirk on his face. “I’ve been dating Maya…secretly.”
Both Beau and Colt’s eyes grow wide in shock, staring incredulously at my abrupt announcement.
“I fucking knew it!” Beau says, looking to Drew for confirmation, who just shrugs. “You made me think I was hallucinating after New Years.”
“Dude, you were obliterated on New Years. You didn’t even know what you saw.”
“I did, too! I asked you about it, and the chick with the pink hair, and you acted like I had imagined the whole thing.”
“Guys, shut up and let Booker talk,” Colt interjects from beside me. “You’ve been sleeping with Coach’s daughter since New Years?”
“No, not exactly.” I explain the Spark Notes version of mine and Maya’s relationship, starting from Halloween up until now.
My voice catches when I get to the part about my dad, and I have to force the words past my lips.
It’s heavy dinner conversation, but I know Drew and Maya are right; I need to tell them.
“Holy hell, Book,” Beau says, sobering up from his usual chaotic energy for a minute. Colt nods in agreement, processing my story.
“I renamed him ‘Jay,’” Drew says, as if I’m a stray cat he found and brought home. I shoot him an unamused glare from across the table, making both him and Beau chuckle.
“Thanks for telling us,” Colt says sincerely, ignoring Drew’s comment for the moment. “Now, boys, put your thinking caps on, because we’ve got to come up with a way to take Ross Booker down.”
Colt pats me on the back, and the consensus around the table is that Ross can go eat shit—in hell. The waitress brings out our food, and our discussion turns lighter, the boys asking how things with Maya are going now that we seem to be on more solid footing.
“On an unrelated note…B, don’t be pissed…” Colt starts, noticing that I’m fatiguing from being the center of attention for so long and changing the direction of the conversation. Beau sits up straight, leaning his elbows on the table.
“What?” he asks skeptically.
“Stella…well, she figured out Dani is Drake’s step-sister.”
“Oh shit,” Drew whispers, all of us waiting to see what Beau has to say in response.
The big man runs his tongue over his teeth, not blinking, staring at Colt as if he just sprouted a second head.
“And what led to this conclusion?” Beau finally asks, sitting deadly still.
“Well…Dani transferred here in January. She told Stella at the gym that it was because of her step-dad’s government job.
When I talked to Kingston, he said his dad was a fed, and they were moving here following a case, and that’s why he’s transferring.
The other day, when she went and got coffee with Danielle and Maya, she confirmed it. ”
Beau’s face goes tomato-red, and Colt bites his bottom lip, as if to stop himself from smiling. Drew smacks a hand over his mouth, holding back a snort.
“Are you fucking kidding me?!” Beau stands up from the booth and begins pacing back and forth in the middle of the restaurant.
People turn and look at him, shooting questioning looks over their shoulders as Drew bursts out laughing uncontrollably and Colt hides his smile behind his hand, chuckling silently at Beau’s over-the-top reaction.
A grin pulls at my lips, but I attempt to be the mature adult in this situation. “Warren, sit down before you get us kicked out.”
“His sister?!” he asks, ignoring me.
“Step-sister,” Drew corrects.
Beau shoots him a glare. “Not helpful, asshole,” he deadpans, only succeeding in making Colt and Drew laugh harder.
Beau slides back into the booth, running both hands through his unruly hair. “Why didn’t you tell me, like, weeks ago, you fucking Judas?”
Colt holds up both hands in surrender. “I didn’t want to say anything if I was wrong.”
Beau drops his head to the table in overly-dramatic distress. “So he’s really going to come play with us, then? For sure? He’s trying out for the team and there’s nothing we can do about it?”
Colt shrugs. “I figured he was serious about it after the conversation at B&B’s. But now, Book can ask Maya and confirm for us. I didn’t want to get you all worked up for nothing, because I knew you’d react like this.”
Ignoring Colt, Beau turns to face me. “Ask her. Call her right now,” he commands.
“I’m not calling her,” I laugh, shaking my head. “She’s at work.”
“Argh,” he groans, dropping his forehead back to the table. “You have to ask her as soon as she gets off, Cap. Like I need to know.” He sits back up and looks me dead in the eyes. “That jackass is going to be our teammate, and I’ve been hooking up with his sister.”
“Step-sister,” the three of us laugh out in unison.